Mackenzie Updates

Mackenzie Updates: Diary-like quick entries, and more.

My daughter, Mackenzie Grace McFate, suffered an ischemic stroke, a stroke caused by a blood clot, on the afternoon of October 31, 2024. After a few days at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in Iowa City, she had nearly fully recovered with very few visible signs of minor impairment by Tuesday, November 12. Unfortunately, at about 1:30 PM on Wednesday, November 13, while resting at home she suffered a second ischemic stroke impacting the same parts of the brain. I’m thankful that very quick action on the part of many saved her life, but she has a longer road to recovery now and many friends are asking what happened and what they can do to help. So…

I began sharing daily updates with a group of friends and family on November 14, and I think it helped us all cope with the situation, perhaps me most of all. In order to catch folks up, and remember myself, I’ve elected to open a new blog section here that begins with those “Mackenzie Update” posts.

I’m sorry to share bad news, but I hope you find it enlightening and uplifting as I did, at least some parts of it. There have certainly been moments in this journey that made us laugh and smile as the old Mackenzie finds her way back into our lives.

-Mark M.

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2024-November